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Note making:Capturing what counts

CHEAT SHEET

Note making is an important part of your academic studies. Developing an effective note making

strategy will support you in everything from essay writing to revision and research.

In this resource we will take you through the different contexts in which you note-make and the

different purposes of note taking. We will then go on to look at some techniques which you can

adopt to make your note making work for you!

Introduction

In this section we will look at several different contexts and purposes in which you would be expected

to make notes.

This will enable you to better understand the techniques in the next section.

Contexts and purposes

Reading

Lectures

Revision

Context:Purpose:

Assignments/ Synthesising

Remembering

Understanding Reflecting

When reading you make notes to help you synthesise and make connections between different

pieces of information. You also may make notes for futures points you want to reference or use in an

essay. Because there are many possible uses for your notes when reading it can be hard for you to

adopt one style.

However this will make it difficult for you when you are returning to these notes as you may find

yourself having to read them again to understand the points made in your notes.

Context - reading

Synthesizing is the process of summarising but

taken one step further. Instead of only restating

the key information from a piece of text,

synthesizing involves combining ideas to allow

an evolving understanding of the text.

In lectures there is a tendency to try and write down every word your lecturer says, however this isn’t

the most effective method. It can be very stressful if you feel like you have missed something and

then wonder if it was a key piece of information that could affect your overall understanding of a

topic.

In the next section of this resource we will highlight which techniques are best for note making in

lectures.

Context - lectures

Revision is a large part of your academic life. When you revise use our notes and further reading to

better remember topics you have covered. You also make notes during revision to help you

communicate your ideas and commit them to memory more effectively. If you have a good note

making strategy already in place you will be able to make better connections between topics and

further reading.

Context - revision

When you are note making in preparation for an assignment you are bringing together all the

information needed to complete your task.

You may have collected notes from a number of different sources - including your secondary reading,

lectures notes and other practical experiences.

You will need to synthesise your notes and make connections in order to give the best answer to

your assignment question. Well-made notes will give your work a good structure.

Purpose – assignment/ synthesising

Synthesizing is the process of summarising but

taken one step further. Instead of only restating

the key information from a piece of text,

synthesizing involves combining ideas to allow

an evolving understanding of the text.

You are often required to commit information to memory. Note making is an

active technique that will assist you in the recall process.

Purpose – remembering

Effective note taking will enhance your understanding of a subject area giving

you an opportunity to explore your knowledge and gain a deeper

understanding of a discipline.

Purpose – understanding

You may have had a practical learning experience e.g. experiment, placement, observations from

which you are required to write up a learning journal or portfolio.

Note making after an event is essential to capture what happened. Following a lecture you may need

to reflect upon what has been said to connect what you have heard with what you know already.

Purpose – reflecting

In this section we look at:

• different note making techniques

• which purposes they are most effective for

• The learning styles they work best for

Techniques and Preferences

You can learn more about Cornell notes in ‘Study Strategies for Success’.

Cornell notes are good for active learners who take notes and ask questions as they note make.

Technique – Cornell notes

KWL stands for; know, want to know and learned. This strategy can be used for the purpose of

checking your understanding of what you know and for revision. Spending a short time analysing

what you already know will give you the evidence you need to read some more or revisit a lecture.

Learn more on KWL in ‘Study Strategies for Success’.

This style of note making is particularly well suited to reflective learners.

Technique – kwl

The questioning matrix’s can be used to ensure that you answer questions and don’t go off on

irrelevant tangents. It also helps you organise your ideas and evidence into sensible sections. Each

section can then be used to form a paragraph of your essay. Most questions or prompts combine

asking you to do something by use somethings.

When filling out the questioning matrix, consider:

• What are you being asked to investigate?

• What are you being asked to use?

• What are you being asked to do?

You can also add a box at the bottom to keep track of your references.

Technique – questioning matrix

Sometimes it can be difficult to write notes and making an audio recording can help you to

overcome this. Using an app on a mobile device e.g. audioBoom you can record your thoughts.

This can help to get a better understanding of a theory or reflect on a learning experience.

Recording your own voice can be a method of capturing your notes quickly to revisit in the future.

This method is particularly good for note making when reading.

Audio is good for verbal learners who work with the spoken word and prefer to hear and speak

explanations of theories and concepts.

Technique – audio

Linear notes use headers and sub-headers

often with bullet points to reveal further

detail. Linear notes can be used over time

to begin to condense long hand notes. The

headers and sub-headers then become

memorable prompts that encourage the

recall of information that is ideal for

revision.

Linear notes are good for sequential

learners that take elements step by step.

Technique – linear notes

Mind maps and pattern notes allow you

to see you topic as a whole, building out

from the main idea to more details.

Mind maps can be used to identify

connections between ideas and details.

Using colour coding can help to group

themes together. It can also help you

to integrate your information sources

alongside the main ideas/concepts/theories

that you are working on.

Technique – mind maps and pattern notes

Check out mind mapping software such as Freeplane, MindGenius and Inspiration.

Mind maps are good for intuitive learners who are making connections and relationships in their learning.

Index cards can be used to support your note

taking when reading and revising. Buy some 6

x 4 cards and use them to condense notes into

an easily memorable format.

Use your own words, abbreviations and colour

coding.

Index cards are good for sensing learners who

can memorise facts and use lots of examples

to illustrate their thoughts.

Technique – index cards

Timelines can help you understand facts relating to the history and development of concepts and

theories. Create a detailed timeline containing the facts.

Timelines are good for sequential learners.

Technique – timelines

Flash cards are a great way to test your knowledge. Create the flashcards to help you recall larger

pieces of information.

When you pick up a card you are unsure of, you know will know that more revision is required in

that area.

Flashcards are good for sensing learners who can memorise facts and use lots of examples to

illustrate their thoughts.

Technique – flash cards

Available online and as a free app for Windows and Apple operating systems.

Evernote will store and assist you in recording, organising and retrieving your notes. You can save

notes as images, word files or PDF’s and easily organise them into notebooks (like folders) and

search for keywords and tags.

Evernote is good for active learners who take notes as they go and may need to note thoughts down

at any opportunity.

Take a look at these hints and tips for using Evernote.

Technique – Evernote

Posters and Infographics are ideal for

remembering key notes such as facts

and figures.

They are fun to create and ideal if you

want your notes to be a quick overview

on a given topic.

Posters are good for visual learners who

remember information as an image.

Technique – posters and infographics

Now you have looked at all the elements of effective note making it’s time to try some of them out

and find the techniques that work best for you.

Prioritising your goals - introduction

You may also find it useful to save a copy of our quick tips guide to organising your notes.

Download our note-making technique templates.

Keep in touch!mle@manchester.ac.uk

@mlemanchester

Related resources

Useful links

Get a grip: understanding your task

Careers service website

Revision strategies: Managing your revision

successfully